Facilities
Department of Athletics Facility Master Plan
- March 17, 2008
Department of Athletics Facility Master Plan
The University of Guelph Department of Athletics is dedicated to providing outstanding services for our students and community members. However, as one of the oldest remaining structures at the University, the W.F. Mitchell Athletic Centre is bursting at the seams.
Currently 7 out of every 10 Guelph students participate in athletics, recreation or fitness programming, and the demand continues to grow. Community members and organizations also use the facilities extensively and in order to meet the increasing demand some facility expansion is needed.
“We became distinctly aware, a few years ago, that our programs were filling up but we had no space to expand,” said Director of Athletics Tom Kendall.
Kendall and a steering committee representing a number of stakeholders contracted B + H from Toronto and Sasaki Associates, Inc., a Boston company with expertise in designing athletic facilities, to assess the situation. Fourteen months later a strategic plan was developed to build on both the University’s master plan as well as the Arboretum master plan.
The overall objective driving the athletic facility plan is to develop activity centers that serve the most number of stakeholders as efficiently and effectively as possible.
The 180 page plan has been through the University’s approval process and was accepted by the Board of Governors in January 2008. The overarching plan allows the University to complete components as they are prioritized and funded.
The task now is to begin determining the phasing priorities and financing of the plan.
“We are still in the early stages but we have made some exciting steps,” says Kendall. “The next step of the plan is to explore the future financial sustainability of the project and to develop a list of potential donors to invest in the venture.”
The full build-out of the proposed plan includes a total of 800,000 square feet, 11 fields, site improvements and parking. Each aspect of athletics and recreation at Guelph will be enhanced from the recreational user, to the athlete, to the coaches and staff as well as the spectator.
“This is an exciting and gigantic step for us,” says Kendall. “We have one of the biggest intramural, recreational and varsity athletics programs in the country so this is not only an investment into the future of our students and student-athletes, but also an investment into the future of the Guelph community.”
Athletics & Recreation Centre:
Our students, faculty, staff and the community of Guelph will all benefit from the new and updated facilities. The building square footage includes major renovations and expansions to the existing Mitchell Centre, Gryphon Centre and Alumni Stadium. The development also includes two major new structures, a Multi-Purpose Hall and the Field House Centre.
Highlights Include:
- A Multi Purpose Hall that can accommodate 3,500 guests. The facility will be used for varsity basketball and volleyball games and convocation
- A Field House Centre that will include seating for 1,000 guests, a three (3) court gymnasium, suspended jogging/walking track, a 10-lane 200m track, varsity training centre, varsity locker rooms and a new lobby.
- Synthetic Turf Fields with four (5) competition quality, intercollegiate size soccer fields
- A new eight (8) lane 400m track
- Updated and expanded practice and rugby fields
The master plan created by Sasaki Associates, Inc has been broken down into six separate documents for you to review.
V Facilities Assessment
VI Master Plan Development Concepts
For more information on the athletic facility master plan please email gryphons@uoguelph.ca
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